Overview of USTEP

The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) accepts exchange students from partner universities with which the University has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding concerning student exchange. Exchange students can choose between the Type U and Type G programs.

The Type U program is designed for undergraduate students to take various courses given in English and/or Japanese in Faculties and College in accordance with their English and/or Japanese language proficiency.

The Type G program is designed for graduate students. Type G participants will belong to one of the Graduate Schools which they applied for and be able to take various courses or conduct research under the guidance of faculty members.

	Type U	Type G
Eligible Students	Undergraduate	Graduate
Students belong to	Division for Global Campus Initiatives	Graduate School to which they are admitted
Courses	Take regular English and/or Japanese courses across various Faculties and College	[Special Auditor] Take regular English and/or Japanese courses offered by the Graduate School to which they belong
Research guidance	In principle, N/A	[Special Research Student] Conduct research under the guidance of a faculty advisor
Language requirement	English and/or Japanese *A minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5, Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced" or JLPT level N1. *TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted. *TOEFL iBT "MyBest Scores" is not accepted. *TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.	English and/or Japanese *Application requirements vary by Graduate School.

For more details on Type U and Type G, please refer to their websites:

Application

Eligibility

Q1. My university is not listed on the USTEP site as a partner university. Can I still apply?

A1. No. UTokyo accepts exchange students only from partner universities with which the University has a Memorandum of Understanding concerning university-wide student exchange. Applications to USTEP will be accepted through the partner universities’ offices responsible for student exchange. However, your university may have College/Faculty-level exchange agreement(s) with UTokyo. Please consult your home institution.

Q2. I would like to participate in the Type U during my first (or second) year in a 4-year bachelor's program. Am I eligible?

A2. No. The Type U students will be registered in the Senior Division of UTokyo, which is for the 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students. Thus in a four-year degree program, students must have completed 2 years of study at their home institutions before coming to UTokyo. For students enrolled in three-year undergraduate programs, they must have finished at least 1.5-year of the program at the time of their arrival at UTokyo.

Letters of reference

Q3. Who should write my letter of reference?

A3.  The reference must be filled out by a full-time faculty member of the department you are currently affiliated with. It should, in other words, be filled out by a faculty member who can assess your academic performance in your specialty/major and who has the authority to give official grades to students at your institution. The reference should not be filled out by a Japanese language faculty unless the student is specializing in the field. The reference cannot be filled out by a teaching assistant. Additional references are accepted as long as you provide the first reference in accordance with the requirement explained above.

Language and other requirements

Q4. I am a Type U (undergraduate) applicant. What is the language requirement?

A4. The Type U program requires exchange students to be proficient in English and/or Japanese, depending on the courses they wish to take. 
Students who wish to take courses offered in English:
Unless they attend a university or have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is English, students must submit an official certificate of a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5 or Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced". TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted. TOEFL iBT “MyBest scores” is not accepted. TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.
Students who wish to take courses offered in Japanese:
Unless they have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is in Japanese, students must submit an official certificate of JLPT Level N1.

Q5. I am a Type G (graduate) applicant. Are there any language requirements?

A5. Each Graduate School has its own requirements for language proficiency and other conditions depending on your exchange student status, "Special Auditor" or "Special Research Student". For details, please refer to Prerequisites for USTEP Type G Applicants.

Course selection

Q6. I want to see the list of next year’s courses. When will it be available?

A6. Our online course catalog is updated in March.

Q7. The language of instruction for the course I wish to take at UTokyo is "Japanese/English". What does that mean?

A7. The language of instruction in "Japanese/English" indicates that the course is taught in both languages. Therefore, proficiency in both languages is required.

Q8. I want to receive course selection advice.

A8. You will receive such advice once you are admitted to USTEP, and you can modify your course list before registration.

Credits

Q9. How are the credits defined?

A9. At UTokyo, courses worth 2 credits consist of 13 weeks of 105-minute classes. The length of each class period may vary depending on college/faculty or graduate school. Please consult with your home university to see how those credits would be counted and whether the courses you wish to take would be transferable. 

 

Financial support

Scholarships

Q10. Are there scholarships available for USTEP students? How do I apply?

A10. Scholarships from other sources, such as the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), may be available. Application information will be provided once students are successfully accepted for USTEP.

 

Student life

Housing

Q11. Is university housing guaranteed?

A11. No. Exchange students may apply for university housing. However, because of the limited number of facilities, housing cannot be guaranteed. The International Exchange Group at UTokyo will contact students with details about housing applications after their admission is granted. For further information, please visit our Housing Office website. http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/administration/housing-office/index.html

 

Other

Q12. Does UTokyo offer any short-term, non-degree programs held in English?

A12. Every year, there are some short-term, non-degree programs offered in English for a limited number of students (subject to change). See: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/special_programs.html
A new short-term program for summer called GUC (Global Unit Courses) started in the summer 2021.

Please read our FAQs before sending an email. We are unable to reply to inquiries already addressed in the FAQs.

You can contact the International Exchange Group using the form linked below.
Please include the following information in your message:
[Home university]
[Current year (Type U or Type G)]
[Planned period of exchange at UTokyo]
[Major]
[(For Type G) Graduate School you would like to enroll in]

International Exchange Group Contact Form